Thomas Bradford

Postdoctoral Research Associate

What do you do?

I obtained my MChem degree from Keele University in the group of Dr. Mike Edwards, where I developed Glutathione Peroxidase mimics. I then pursued my PhD at Durham under the supervision of Professor Robert Pal, focusing on the development of light-activated molecular nanomachines.

My research centred on the microscopic evaluation of specific multiphoton-activated nanomachines, working towards developing photodynamic therapies that access new, biologically favourable cell death pathways. I have since joined the lab of Professor Jonathan Heddle, where I am developing various new biological nanomachines.

How are you involved in this area of science? 

I worked on the molecular nanomachine (MNM) project as part of my PhD from 2019 – 2023. The majority of my work focused on developing new, more biologically safe, methods for nanomachine activation, as well as trying to access new routes towards cleaner forms of nanomachine induced cell death.

These goals were realised by carrying out extensive microscopic studies on a large number of MNMs using exciting new laser technologies, capable of shifting the activation wavelength of the machines from the damaging – high energy - ultraviolet window to a more biocompatible – lower energy - near infrared range. All striving to make the technology more applicable to therapeutic applications, and aid in the development of next generation, single cell targeted, cancer treatments.

What do you love about this topic?

Nanotechnologies are an incredibly exciting, and relatively new, field of scientific research presenting a great opportunity for the development of innovative real-world medical applications – such as side effect free cancer treatments and personalised therapeutics. I really enjoy the challenge that comes with working at the boundary of what is currently understood and pushing forward our collective scientific knowledge. What is most exciting is the large number of future uses for nanomachines in every-day life, not just in the medical field but also in areas such as environmental clean up and technology. 

How does this work deliver real-world impact?

Our work with cell targeted molecular nanomachines specifically focuses on utilising nanomachinery for medicinal applications, having already been involved in clinical trials at the MD Anderson Cancer Centre in the US.

The highly modifiable nature of this technology allows for many different cell types to be specifically targeted, meaning difficult to treat diseases that present in many different forms - such as cancer – will hopefully be easier to deal with in the future. We have also shown previously that molecular nanomachines can be used to fight against bacteria, posing a possible new method to deal with antibiotic resistance.